Apple to Unveil iOS 7 Very Soon...And It Better Not Be Groundbreaking

Tim Cook uncharacteristically announced recently that the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this June will be the launch point for the new version of Apple mobile phone software, iOS 7.  Rumors had swirled like a tornado dancing with a hurricane that John Ive....sorry, Sir John Ive, would have a major role in the development of the new iOS, favoring simplicity. Previous iterations were well known for incorporating real-world looking elements, such as a lined paper display for 'Notes' and a felt poker table appearance for 'Game Center.' That will certainly come to a screeching halt very soon, but what other changes or updates can we expect?

I believe many die-hard followers are not optimistic for a major software change. I assume Tim Cook will try to emphasis how amazing the software already is in it's present state, and they want to make it even better (I will bet big Monopoly money that line is spoken at some point in the keynote).  A new look will certainly be welcomed, but drastic changes would be a mistake.

Apple's success with the original iPhone was multi-faceted. First, they had a monopoly on the smartphone market because they basically invented it (at least the modern version we know today). Second, Steve Jobs sold this device as a massive miracle of technology that can fit in your pocket. Third, and most important these days, the software was simple, powerful and intuitive. Every iteration has built upon the success of the original iOS without drastically changing the usability. iOS 7 MUST be more of the same.

Any company's bottom line is to make money. Apple makes a lot of money. They make so much money, the company is keeping literally millions of dollars on their balance sheets as cold hard cash. That being said, to win over consumers, the company needs to target as many demographics as they can.

I would argue the younger population is almost saturated with smartphones by now (15-30 year olds).  Smartphones need to continue to infiltrate the older demographic (say over 30) and the foreign demographic.

Older people can be very hesitant to change anything. That's why our government and the Catholic Church work so slowly. Too many old people in charge. But that's a discussion for another day. Older consumers looking to buy a smartphone want something easy to use that just works. Apple has been preaching that from the beginning and differentiates itself from Android with this philosophy.  Even Microsoft sees the value in simple but powerful software with Windows Phone 8. They were just late to the party.

I really believe only an incredibly small percent of Americans actually need Android powered smartphones. Many technology websites chastise Apple for its restrictive control of the App Store, its unwillingness to adopt NFC and larger screen sizes, and the lack of customization of iOS.  But 99.999% of Americans just want a smartphone that works and is easy to use. They fact that the iPhone 5 has beautiful build quality is the frosting on the cheesecake which has vaulted the iPhone to the most popular smartphone in the USA.

I look forward to the upgrades in iOS 7. While I am currently testing the awesomeness of the Galaxy Note 2, I will keep my iPhone 5 close by until I know exactly what to expect from WWDC.  I don't expect Apple to impress me, but I do expect them to make every iteration better than the last.

My First Day with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2

The smartphone world has been talking non-stop about the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4. While I would love to test both devices, money and two-year contracts forbid me to do so.  I'm a happy iPhone 5 user, except that I'm not quite happy.  I was too intrigued by the massively beautiful screen of the Galaxy Note 2, not to mention its cheaper price point on eBay than some newer smartphones.

Here are some of my first impressions after using the Samsung Galaxy Note 2:

The screen is bright, vibrant, sharp....but it's not the iPhone screen.

Part of me thought I was crazy when I considered purchasing a phone with a lower pixel density than the iPhone 5 (at 326 ppi). Then the reality of a larger screen with heavily saturated colors negated my distress. Despite the 267 ppi and the large screen size, everything displayed on the Note 2 looks sharp and vibrant. Much of that is a result of Samsung's TouchWiz skin over Android 4.1.2, which is an important factor to consider if you ever want to strip down to stock Android.

I have noticed, however, that some app icons look fuzzy and blurred on the Note 2.  That reflects badly on Google Play app developers failing to optimize icons for high definition screens, something that would never happen with the iPhone.

One final note on the screen quality. The iPhone 5 displays more natural colors while the Note 2 displays more vibrant and bright colors. You can change the screen mode on the Note for a more natural display, but then colors look washed out and the lower ppi becomes more apparent. 'Dynamic' mode for the screen makes the display feel (or I suppose look) nearly as sharp as the iPhone.

The app selection is good on Android, but I can't help thinking quantity over quality.

Today, most applications can be found on both Google Play and the Apple App Store. But Android apps are known to be less regulated and, therefore, sometimes inferior.  This is the double edged sword of Android's customization. For the minuscule number of people who know how to root a phone or manipulate the operating system, Android is the ultimate option. Developers fill Google Play with what I consider experimental or highly customized applications.  This lowers the quantity of fully refined apps for the everyday users to enjoy. I prefer Apple in terms of app selection because of heavy control of the App Store and the uniformity of the screen size options for app developers (two sizes compared to....a lot of screen sizes using Android).

Multitasking is SO nice (but necessary?)

Multi-Window and Pop Up Play on the Galaxy Note 2 give the device an incredible amount of flexibility and multi-tasking power. The iPhone 5 can't even come close in this regard.  But is it necessary or really useful? For me, the jury is still out.  I have only used Pop Up Play when I am watching a movie and want to check my text messages or email.  That is definitely useful, but limited because the functionality does not exist for YouTube, where I watch many of my videos. For Multi-Window, I have only used it to see how it works. I have yet to find a scenario where it's actually functional. I'll keep trying.

The point is, unless you know of situations where having two windows open at once is useful for your everyday life, this feature should not sway you away from Apple.

The S Pen is great

Unlike multi-tasking, the S Pen can be useful to anyone for everyday use. It's main selling point for me is the drawing accuracy.  I dare you to try drawing anything with your finger and tell me the S Pen is inferior. But what would you draw? Notes, notes, notes. And these notes are not limited to the S Note application templates. You can draw on any picture you take with the camera. You can draw on the calendar. You can trace out any part of a web page and send it as an email or text message or save it as a note. You can even hand write words and see them translated to text.

Of course, you don't have to use the S Pen at all on the Galaxy Note 2. But you will easily find yourself taking advantage of this little pen's amazing capabilities. And it's much better than those cheap styluses with the rubber tips.

The camera is wonderful (but better?)

Finally, the cameras.  Simply put, you will not miss the iPhone 5's camera, but you won't forget it either. Although both devices have an 8 megapixel shooter with flash, the Note 2 incorporates more software features, like 'Best Face' and 'Low Light' as well as template and filters. You can get many of these features on the iPhone through 3rd party apps, but their quality can be suspect and building simple features into the operating system creates a better and more unified experience.

Still, don't switch over to the Galaxy Note 2 just because of the extra camera features. You can get them on the iPhone with some filtering through the App Store.  Camera quality should not be a reason to chose one smartphone over the other. You can't go wrong no matter what you choose in that regard.

Final Notes (ha ha, funny)

I need more time using the Galaxy Note 2 as my daily driver before I make any final decisions. I don't want to keep two smartphones hanging around when I can get good money selling either one.  Part of me misses my iPhone, but another part of me is really enjoying the Note 2 and sees no reason to switch back. Maybe Apple can blow me away at WWDC in June, but I doubt it. That's a discussion for another day.

Are Smartphones Becoming Future-Proof?

Whenever a new smartphone is announced, everyone immediately looks back to the previous iteration and magically realizes how low-tech and poorly built their once beloved companion has become. It's like we all share an epiphany and slap ourselves for ever thinking our "out dated" phones could keep us happy for the foreseeable future.

Take the iPhone 5.  When I first un-boxed my new iPhone 5 from AT&T, I was dumbfounded by its beautiful design and powerful performance. I looked at my iPhone 4, which had been my companion for 2 full years, and forgot how much it had changed my life and focused only on the negatives; the size, weight, camera and screen.

But every time a new phone is unleashed unto the world, consumers hope that this will be the device they can be happy with for at least 2 years (if not more, to save money).  But the manufacturers and designers want buyers to keep buying new phones, so it seems they rarely attempt to 'future-proof' their devices. Take the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4. These are clearly the best smartphones available (for Android, at least). But they are running Snapdragon 600 processors, which will be outmatched by the Snapdragon 800 processors which begin mass production next month.  And considering the Galaxy S4 has implemented a boatload of new gesture-based features, there will probably need to be a Galaxy S5 to smooth out all the kinks in this new hardware-software combo attack.

However, I also look at the future of mobile technology as a continuous iteration of upgrades where the window for improvement is gradually shrinking, until a break-through in battery, screen or processor technology changes the game. What this means for the near future is that smartphone owners are beginning to have less reason to sell their "out-dated" phone for the "next big thing." If you own a Galaxy S3, a large portion of the software features on the S4 will eventually be ported to your device. The same goes for the Galaxy Note 2. If you own an iPhone 5, the new software features of the upcoming (someday) 5S will surely be given to you as well.

And is there really a noticeable difference between an 8 megapixel camera and a 13 megapixel camera? The only situation I can see is when you show your images on a large TV screen, but how often to people do that?

Yes, the HTC One implemented a complete design change and a revamping of the HTC Sense skin over Android. But what can possibly be better about the HTC One....second generation?

Of course hindsight is 20-20, and maybe a year from now everyone will look back on the Galaxy S4 with disgust, or at least disappointment. But my money's on the Galaxy S5 being so marginally better, that many people will remain loyal to their current 2012-2013 phone, maybe for the first time in their lives.